Mr. Wright Becomes Mr. Wright Now

Take a gander at Owen Wright, the most competitively ruthless Australian surfer in the Hot 100. Since kicking off ’09, Mr. Wright’s been on a winning binge, getting messy with three consecutive Pro Junior victories over a very adept playing field. Just after winning his third Pro Junior, we got in touch with the lanky 6-footer to find out what country he thinks produces the best surfers and what, exactly, he would do with his last night on Earth. (Hint: It involves fast cars and supermodels.)

So you’re just coming off of triple Pro Junior wins and it seems that the entire surf media is pretty fired up on you. Can you tell me about how it feels to be thrust into the spotlight?

Yeah, well, coming off those wins feels great. Especially with all of the best international guys competing over here. And as far as the media attention goes, I guess that by doing that [winning] the media comes with it, which is good…I like it. I’d much rather be doing interviews and answering questions about having good form than having bad form…we all got smashed at the world juniors.

It seems like right now we’re seeing a trend toward bigger surfers, moving away from the typical, small-stature Tom Carroll-type figures. How does it help you’re surfing being a bit taller?

I think being taller is good if you use it right on the wave. It can definitely be done wrong. But if you’re taller, you’re able to get more extension and much more leverage, which equals getting more out of a turn.

When can we expect to see you make a full run on the ’QS?

Well, I tried a couple of ’QS events last year and it was a great learning curve. I’m definitely going to tackle a few more this year with a different game plan, though. I’m really looking forward to it actually.

Hypothetically, let’s say it’s your last night on Earth. What do you do that night?

I’d probably drive a Ferarri as fast as it can go and then take her out on a racetrack. Then I reckon I’d spend the rest of the night with Miranda Kerr!